It can easily be argued that English is a dominant language in the world today.
It is the language of international business, as well as the language of popular culture. People all around the world want to learn English and English speakers are often able to get by without needing to learn another language, even if they travel a great deal. Many English speakers do not study other languages because they do not feel the need to.
We need to ask ourselves, however, if this is good for us.
On an economic level we can see that it is not. In the United States and Canada, studies consistently show that those who speak more than one language earn more than their English-only counterparts. It is difficult to get comparative results with non-English speaking industrialized countries however because such a large portion of their populations is multilingual. In fact, in Europe monolinguals are a minority.
Studies are also consistently showing that being multilingual is good for brain health and development in both children and adults. Those who speak more than one language score higher on standardized tests and are better at multi-tasking. They are also less likely to develop Alzheimer's and dementia, demonstrate better memory, better decision making and are more perceptive.
Learning another language also makes us better at our own language. It causes one to think about grammatical structures in our mother tongue that we tend not to be aware of. For example, English grammar is simpler than that of many other languages. Our regular verbs vary little, and we do not have gender. When we learn French, Spanish or German for example, suddenly English subjects and direct objects make a great deal more sense.
Learning another language can also make us more empathic. We understand the challenges of trying to converse in a language that is not our own, and thus are more likely to be patient with those who are not fluent in English.
Language is also an important aspect of culture. It reflects the values of its people. When we understand the native language of others we know how to actually think in their language, we can greater appreciate their way of life, and it is thus easier to understand the people themselves better. Indeed, this is one of the greatest joys of learning another language. We can sit down with those from another part of the world and talk, laugh, eat, discuss our differences and share our common humanity.
For centuries, English speakers governed much of the world and even forced people not to speak their indigenous languages. Other colonizers did the same.
The result is that the number of languages in the world is actually decreasing. We see now that this is impoverishes us all. Fortunately languages in decline can resurrect.
The Irish, for example, in a spirit of cultural pride have put great effort into preserving their language. Today the number of Gaelic speakers is significantly increasing, as is the volume of writing in this once endangered language.
It is never too late to learn another language. In fact, it can be argued that it is easier to do today than it has ever been.
There are many very effective courses that we can take on our computers, and global language immersion programs are quite accessible for many of us.
We are a global community.
As we learn the languages of our neighbours we not only benefit ourselves, we benefit the whole world.
As multilingual Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela said, "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart."
